Read on for the lowdown on the clash with Spurs.
Son returns
Heung-Min Son, who made 87 appearances and scored 29 goals for Bayer 04 from 2013 to 2015, returns to his old stomping ground with Tottenham. The South Korean has already netted four goals in the Premier League this term plus the winner in the 1-0 victory away to CSKA Moscow in the Champions League. And he was recently the first Asian footballer to be named player of the month in England. “It’s a special game for me and I was excited when I heard about the draw. I had a good time at Leverkusen and I’m looking forward to meeting my old teammates,” said Sonny.
High-octane fixture
The game between Bayer 04 and Spurs promises to be a high quality encounter. Tottenham are the only team in the Premier League, to be unbeaten after eight games this term. And the approach of both teams suggests this should be a high-octane fixture. The Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino expressed his respect for his fellow manager Roger Schmidt. “I admire him a lot and I’ve seen a lot of his games from his time at Salzburg and Leverkusen. We both favour a similar style: aggressive, full of running and always looking to play on the front foot. This could be a very entertaining fixture for the fans,” said the Argentinian at the pre-match press conference.
Berbo scores against old club
Bayer 04 and Tottenham have met once before on the European stage. Spurs won 1-0 at the BayArena in the group stage of the UEFA Cup in 2006/07 – thanks to a strike from Dimitar Berbatov, who spent five years at the Werkself before his move to London. The Bulgaria striker did not celebrate his goal out of respect for the Bayer 04 fans and his former teammates. There is certainly room for improvement in Bayer 04’s record in matches against English teams: Leverkusen have only won three of the 19 European games against opposition from the Premier League with the other matches ending in twelve defeats and four draws. However, Tottenham have only won four of the last 13 European encounters with teams from Germany (plus two draws and seven defeats).
Fortress BayArena
The Werkself are particularly resilient at home in Europe and have not lost on home turf in nearly two years. The last defeat on the international stage was a 1-0 reverse against AS Monaco in November 2014. Since then, Bayer 04 have clocked up four wins and four draws. The club record at Leverkusen is nine home games unbeaten on the bounce (between 1995 and 1998).
Injury update
In addition to the England striker Harry Kane (ankle problem) Spurs are also likely to be without the services of Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld due to a knee injury. Bayer 04 have three long-term absentees in Karim Bellarabi, Joel Pohjanpalo and Vladlen Yurchenko. It remains to be seen whether the skipper Lars Bender will be fit for tonight’s match.
No to Racism
UEFA are once again running their ‘No to Racism’ campaign against discrimination supported by the stars and top clubs – for the first time in the UEFA Women’s Champions League as well. The campaign runs from 6 to 20 October at 60 matches in the main UEFA club competitions with the aim of combating discrimination and celebrating diversity. Anti racism ads will be broadcast during half-time at the various stadiums. All teams will come onto the pitch accompanied by children wearing t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘No to Racism’ and the two captains will wear special armbands.
Tickets still available
There are still some tickets available for the big match against Spurs in Europe’s premier club competition. The ticket offices at the BayArena are open tonight. Category IV (€42, concessions €28) and category II (€60, concessions €44) tickets are available in the Leverkusen section in blocks B1, F6 and F8.
The Golden Boy Top 100 traditionally lists Europe’s most promising young players. In the latest update, published to mark the start of the new season, four current Werkself players – alongside loanee Francis Onyeka – feature on the list. This means Bayer 04 have the most players in contention of any Bundesliga club.
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Goalkeeper Rafaela Borggräfe will continue to play for Bayer 04 Leverkusen next season. The loan of the Germany U23 international, who joined from Liverpool in the winter, has been extended by a further year.
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The Bayer 04 delegation, led by Fernando Carro, CEO, concluded their multi-day trip to Brazil with a visit to the community-based organisation Bola Pra Frente in Rio de Janeiro – founded by former Werkself player Jorginho. During the visit, Bayer 04 committed to extending support for the Bola Pra Frente project for a further five years. In addition, Jorginho, a member of the Brazil 1994 World Cup-winning squad, was named Bayer 04’s second official club legend. With the visit to São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the club has strengthened the relationships built up over the years in one of Bayer 04’s most important international markets.
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Ten years after retiring as a player, Kristina Sundov is returning to the Bayer 04 Women’s team as assistant coach. The 39-year-old former Croatia international takes over from Remzi Kahraman, who has taken up a new challenge abroad. She has been given a contract to 30 June 2028.
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The training pitches at the BayArena are already buzzing with activity again, even before training officially begins next week. On Monday morning, a small group from the Werkself first-team squad completed a session lasting around an hour. Both new and familiar faces were present.
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